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You grinned as you loaded the last of the bins onto the cart you got at Costco ages ago for when you needed to move a lot of things...which with the way you went all out at times at the grocery store was often enough that it had been more than worth it. Sam and Bucky wouldn’t know what hit them. You loved the holidays, more than anyone you knew. There was something magical about the decorations and the atmosphere that the last three months of the year brought.
The three of you shared a house on the grounds of the Avengers compound. When the team started settling down and more agents with families started being brought on, it made sense to create a place for them where their families would be protected. In a sense, a new town had sprung up, with the Avengers having their own neighborhood. You had enough room to have spacious yards and soon enough, trick or treaters would be knocking on your door, the children of agents who were excited to show off their costumes.
Bucky and Sam had both been away on a mission. You were still out with an injury. It was October 1st and no one could tell you no, you cannot put the Halloween decorations up yet. You had started putting out small, autumn themed decorations as soon as the seasons changed. Sam and Bucky had barely noticed the appearance of pumpkin spice, apple, and cinnamon scented candles that replaced your more summer scented ones. Nor did they seem to notice the sudden appearance of garland made of faux autumn leaves that now adorned the railing of the balcony, white fairy lights strewn throughout.
You set about unpacking the boxes and organizing the decorations more than they already were. The witch with the cauldron that said a rhyme about the brew she was making was set to the side for the scene you’d create by the rarely used fireplace, a throwback to your childhood. You were so lost in what you were doing, you never heard the front door open or the two of them walk in.
“Why does it look like Halloween came to town and trashed our place?” Sam asked. You jumped, almost dropping the ceramic ghost you were holding.
“You scared me,” you said before continuing, “I’m starting to decorate for Halloween.”
“Doll, Halloween isn’t until the 31st. Do we really need to decorate now?” Bucky asked. You glared at him.
“Yes. The holiday season has officially started. Since you two are home…,” you said trailing off.
“You want us to help, don’t you?” Sam asked.
“Please? I have so much I want to do and so little time. Besides, Wanda and Steve have started decorating their house. I saw Steve cleaning the gutters out this morning to hang up those purple and orange lights they bought last year,” you said. There was something refreshing about having a slice of normalcy in the midst of a life that was far from normal. The three of you were still relatively new to the dating thing, having opted to live together as friends for so long before one day, the feelings came out.
Steve had settled in with Wanda, something that had surprised you at first. With the security provided by living on the compound, Clint had brought Laura and their kids out. If Natasha lived with them, well, no one was batting an eye at that. Thor had a house in the neighborhood, one he shared with Bruce. Tony and Pepper maintained one too, even if Tony was more hands off from the team these days. The Avengers were still a family.
“What do you need us to do, doll?” Bucky asked. You smiled, and saw the look Sam gave Bucky.
“We’re going to regret this, aren’t we?” Sam asked.
“You can start by grabbing the batteries I bought off the kitchen counter, please. Bucky you can start testing the lights for the bushes,” you said. Both men shared a look before going to do as you asked. Bucky set about continuing to untangle the lights for you, while Sam handed you the batteries.
The witch was the first thing you wanted to power up. Your mother had sent it to you a few weeks prior at your request. As soon as the batteries were in, you pressed the button, bringing her to life.
“Happy Halloween. Let’s see, there’s eye of newt, liver of muskrat, venom of snake, garlic powder, delicious yes, it’s my very own chowder. Happy Halloween,” the decoration said, complete with a witch’s cackle. You laughed at the look on Sam and Bucky’s faces.
“That’s creepy,” Bucky said.
“That’s vintage. 1995. Been in the family almost as long as I have,” you said with a smile.
“Where are we putting it?” Sam asked.
“By the fireplace. I have a whole scene to set up there,” you explained. The three of you set about setting up the decorations. This year, you had gone out and purchased wood to make your headstones. The foam ones didn’t hold up well. When your boys saw what you had stashed in the garage, they shared a look. You had drawn out where the cuts needed to go, but hadn’t touched the wood.
“Doll, you weren’t planning on cutting that yourself were you?” Bucky asked. You shook your head. There were very few things you agreed to being off limits. Using any kind of saw was one of them after the first and last time they had you handle cutting something. You may have been on it on the field, but when it came to the day to day, there were some things it was safer not to let you do.
“Of course not. If one of you could? I have the designs sketched out too on the paper I taped up. Just call me out when it’s done so I can start painting,” you said.
You headed back in the house, putting the window decals up before Sam came in and helped you bring the lights outside. You could hear Bucky at work on the saw as you and Sam pulled the lights over the bushes and placed ‘cobwebs’ over it. Sam grabbed the ladder to put the lights up on the front of the house, along with your ghostly decorations that hung down.
You almost forgot that Bucky was tasked with cutting the headstones until you realized it was far too quiet. You walked toward the garage to see him hard at work painting. He had already done the work of putting the poles into the decorations.
“You like it?” he asked you as he heard you approach.
“It’s perfect,” you said, wrapping your arms around him from behind and letting your head rest against his shoulder. You jumped slightly when Sam joined in, the three of you content to enjoy the moment.
“I was thinking we could have a skeleton hand reaching up from one of them,” Bucky said.
“Yeah? What other ideas do you have?” you asked him. He explained his plan, before setting to work with Sam. You took the opportunity to head back inside and continue your indoor decorating. There were plenty of things that still had to be done.
The sun had set before the three of you retired for the evening, opting to order out instead of cook. One of Tony’s Iron Legion would pick up the food, something the locals outside the compound had long since grown used to. The lawn now had a dozen headstones, complete with scenes of skeleton’s attempting to escape and a scarecrow caretaker that Sam made.
“Well?” you asked as your boys looked around the house. You were practically bouncing on your feet, wanting to know what they thought.
“It’s perfect, doll,” Bucky said, placing a kiss on your forehead. Sam nodded in agreement.
“It really is,” Sam said. The three of you settled in for dinner with the arrival of your food a short time later. You couldn’t wait for what the rest of the month would bring.